9/27    The animal thread was the most entertaining today.  Sad, really.
        \_ Yeah, where's a good ilyas deletion war when you need it?
        \_ why was it deleted so soon??
        \_ Bonobo should be the only answer.

9/26    \_ Does the politburo have a proposal for what the donations would
           be used for?
           \_ Upgrading Soda.
              \_ Is there something more specific?  What will the upgrade
                 entail?
           \_ I will personally attest that all donations made to the CSUA
              during this time, unless otherwise specifically noted, will go
              toward the hardware upgrade (and we'll actually ask each
              donator to make sure).  We're also making a commitment to
              actually acknowledge and thank people who donate so that people
              don't think we're a group of ungrateful children.

              As for what our plans are, we're planning on upgrading soda to
              a dual xeon machine with a pile of ram and piles of
              fault-tolerant disk.  During this time, we're also planning on
              making upgrades to scotch and a general reshuffling of some of
              the servers to fix some of the issues that we're having right
              now.  (For example, we've been contemplating some fixes to soda
              getting CPU hosed by procmail and spamass processes, one of the
              fixes being to offload mail processing)  Nothing is set in
              stone though; we have to see what kind of funds we'll have to
              do this.  I'll post more in a few days about more of the
              specifics and our needs from the community.
              - jvarga
              \_ Did someone donate dual Xeon box, or is CSUA planning to
                 purchase such a thing?  If purchasing, I can't possibly
                 sit idle and condone this.  I know FreeBSD AMD64 isn't
                 quite ready for real use yet, but it won't be that long.
                 Dual Opteron would be much better way to go.
                 Yes I know Nocona has iAMD64, too, but is far less
                 optimally implemented.
              \_ Dual 90nm Xeons?  Soda goes **FOOM**! -anonymous critic
                 \_ Actually, no joke.  The 90nm P4 designs are hot as shit.
                    Please consider a dual Opteron instead - not that they're
                    really cool or anything, but they might not burn a hole
                    in the case.
                    \_ Liquid cooled Soda!
                       \_ Someone could donate a liquid nitrogen cooled
                          Peltier to the CSUA...
              \_ it would be nice to later post a file with a list of
                 donors (anonymous or monikers if the donor prefers) and
                 what / how  much they donated, and then a list of what
                 the funds were used for, and how much each item cost.
                 \_ No it wouldn't.
                 \_ agree. who cares. fuck off! - danh

9/28    Wouldn't a great way for spammers to get emails just be to setup
        SMTP relays and record every address that passes through? Is this
        possible? Anyone think this is done?
        \_ better, less tiem consuming method, would be to hack their way
           into a SMTP server and just grab its logs.  You get all the same
           information without havnig to have a long-term presence on the
           machine.  -ERic
           \_ well I just ask because a friend claims that by including him
              on emails that I've sent out To: multiple people (as opposed
              to Bcc), I'm somehow increasing his chances of getting spam.
              I was just trying to think of a way that might be possible.
              Anyone think he's right/wrong? why
              \_ Wrong.  You don't just "setup a SMTP relay" and magically mail
                 starts flowing through it.  (Unless you make it "open", in
                 which case spammers will find it and send _their_ mail through
                 it).
              \_ Kinda True. If your friend sends an email to someone who
                 has a mail client that captures those addresses (Outlook),
                 and they get a virus which has it's own smtp server (Bagle)
                 it can send emails out as you or to you.

9/28    There are 10 kinds of people, those that can read binary and everyone
        else.
        \_  My friend, in this world there are two kinds of people: those
            with loaded guns and those who dig.  You dig.
        \_ Friends help you move.  Real friends help you move bodies.
        \_ There are 2 kinds of people, those that have seen this joke before
           and--oh wait, just 1 kind.
           \_ nice

9/28    I have a cousin in France who would like to do an internship at
        UC Berkeley.  He is an undergrad majoring in networking and
        telecommunications.  I would be grateful if people could suggest
        possible labs, research groups, or people to contact. Thanks. -emin

         _ Restored by popular request  --motd selective un-nuke angel
        /
        \_ Does anyone at Berkeley do internships like this for Ugrads?
           \_ I saw it happen one summer in a lab I was working in. But the
              guy (who was from an ivy league) had some personal connection
              to the prof.
              \-We had a math student from france here [LBL] for about
                6weeks but it is the first time we have done something
                like this. I dont know if we are going to continue to do
                this. But this was something the student secured sort of
                through individual initiative [writing to the prof etc]
                rather than applying to an existing program. Over the
                summer we might be interested in somebody with a good
                background in statistical decision making and tcp/ip
                networking, but not so much telecomm background. To be
                frank your relative is competing against grad students
                who are USA people ... so something has to make them
                worth it. The student in question was 1. a woman [so may
                have fallen under some women in science program] 2. from
                the ENS so she may have had some profs with personal
                connections to the division chair here. i only helped her
                with some programming problems so i dont know if she had
                a giant brain. --psb

9/28    First JPEG virus spotted in the wild, posted to:
        alt.binaries.multimedia.transexuals and
        alt.binaries.erotica.beanie-babies among others.
        If you and your kin haven't patched your systems, get on it!
        http://www.easynews.com/virus.txt
        \_ Worth mentioning that even if you patch your OS, any number of
           programs may include their own version of the GDI+ library, and thus
           be vulnerable.

9/28    Complain all you like about Ascroft, but the news update here is
        something else entirely.
        http://www.filibustercartoons.com
        \_ In case any liberals were intending to "escape" to Canada where
           they can be free of opressive government idiocy...from the page:
           "The Canadian government had my site suspended for the last few days
            because it contained cartoons which they deemed "slanderous" to the
            Queen, and thus in violation of Canadian law. I had to remove the
            offending cartoons, and now my site is back up."
            Fuck Canada.
           "The Canadian government had my site suspended for the last few
           days because it contained cartoons which they deemed
           "slanderous" to the Queen, and thus in violation of Canadian
           law. I had to remove the offending cartoons, and now my site is
           back up."  Fuck Canada.
            \_ It's not even like this guy does really vile cartoons or
               something.  His work is pretty clean.  I doubt he had the
               queen screwing a horse or something.
            \_ The Queen is just a figurehead and has no real power.  It's a
               real problem when you can't draw a cartoon of the head of govt
               screwing a horse.  Just leave the head of state alone.

9/28    Why aren't more people on the motd talking about this guy?
        http://www.badnarik.org
        He's a libertarian (former) sysadmin, for crying out loud!
        And he's polling roughly even with Nader.

9/28    I can not believe it: All Kerry needs to do is beat a fucking
        chimp and he is not even going to be able to do that. What
        a fucking tool. Who the hell are these people who voted Gore
        and are now going to vote for Bush!?
        \_ That's my argument.  If Kerry can't even beat a fucking chimp,
           how is he able to run a country effectively?  I was for Gore, but
           Kerry just isn't cutting it for me.
           \_ Kerry appears to be losing because fucking stupid sheep-like
                voters such as yourself are herding along with what they're
                told is the flow.
                \_ "Think about how dumb the average American is. Now realize
                    that half of all Americans are dumber than that."
                        -- Jeff Foxworthy
                        \_ that's the median.  the median and the average
                           are only the same for a symetrical distribution,
                           which seems unlikely.
                           \_ I do not understand the concept of this
                              thing you call a "joke."  It does not
                              compute. *bzzzt*
                    \_ That would be right if he said "median American"
        \_ Kerry is winning. The polls are cooked (see Gallup)
           \_ Yeah, all of them.  Just look at http://www.electoral-vote.com to see
              how all the polls that show Bush trending up in nearly every
              battleground state are cooked.
              \_ So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph
                 because good is dumb.
        \_ If everyone who voted for Gore voted for Kerry, then Kerry
           would also lose. In fact, the margin of victory would be even
           wider for Bush this time because of population shifts adding
           electoral votes in Bush's favor. The real questions are:
           1. Who would vote for Kerry that voted for Bush last time?
           2. Why don't Democrats vote?
           \_ I'm starting to think America really deserves four more years
              of this stupid crap.  Fucked economy, spiralling foriegn
              commitments, maybe a few more countries with the bomb, investment
              fleeing to other countries, outsourcing, the complete
              disappearance of the middle class...Maybe then we'll finally
              get a decent sweep up in '08 and we can start to fix things.
              Unfortunately the judicial branch is going to be fucked for
              a whole generation.
              \_ This was Nader's argument in favor of running in '00.
              \_ Seriously, we need more dems in office so we can have a
                 booming economy like Germany and France have.
                 \_ False analogy, sorry, you lose.
              \_ Outsorcing is simply a free market at work. What do you
                 all anti-outsorcing whinners are expecting the government to
                 do? Take money out of someone's pocket and put it into yours,
                 or perhaps make everyone pay artificially high prices for your
                 skills and the products you make? (which is how protectionsm
                 works more or less).
                 \_ Well... yeah.

9/28    What's up with the Gallup Poll?
        Likely Voter Sample Party IDs - Poll of September 24-26
        Reflected Bush Winning by 52%-44%
        Total Sample: 758
        GOP: 328 (43%)
        Dem: 236 (31%)
        Ind: 189 (25%)
        A 12% party ID skew towards Republicans?  Sure guys.  You'd think
        they would want to fix their methodology after they blew it in
        2000, but they seem to have ignored the problem.  "Hello, McFly?
        Random sampling of land lines isn't going to cut it anymore! McFly!
        Caller ID?  Cellphones?  McFly?!"
        \_ For context if you don't know: 2000 was 35% GOP turnout, 39% Dem.
           \_ Looks like the Dem. lost faith in the system.
              \_ Are you stupid or just stupid?
              \_ Actually, the Dems have signed up millions of new voters,
                 most of whom are not being polled. This election is what
                 finally woke up the lazy, non-voting TV watching prole
                 to vote his class interests.

9/28    These guys know how to have more fun than the CSUA:
        http://csua.org/u/98p (yahoo news)

9/28    What happened to the color of Kerry's skin?  He's orange!
        http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/news/img/sep04/kerry1092704.jpg
        \_ pic?  Are you sure you aren't thinking of Carter?  Now HE'S
           looking like he had too many carrots.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1096306030421_91715230/?hub=CTVNewsAt11
        \_ Hee, hee.  It looks like someone dipped him in tanning oil.
        \_ Makeup? bad lighting?
        \_ Now we can choose between Orangity Orange, and Lemony Yellow!
        \_ Photoshop

9/28    Earthquate!
        \_ you felt it too?  Could it be:
           http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc51147892.htm
           \_ People in San Mateo and Redwood City felt it.
           \_ I wonder if they predicted it:
              http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/research/parkfield
              \_ "They" didn't predict it. "They" caused it! - tin foil brigade
        \_ I haven't felt a tremor since Loma Prieta.

9/28    So Carter says there will be problems with the election in Florida.
        This is the same man who certified the Venezuelan election which had
        "mathematically impossible" results.
        http://davidholiday.com/weblog/2004/08/nitpicking-nytimes-on-venezuela
        \_ The Economist published a reasonable analysis of the ven.
           election results, and they are satisfied it was reasonably
           fair.  no i don't have a link. - danh
        \_ What kind of file is that?
        \_ this is the guy who wanted the peace prize so badly he killed
        for it
        \_ Here's a better link:
           http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4431638,00.html
           "Rampersad claimed touch-screen voting machines in at least 500
           polling sites produced the exact same number of ``yes'' votes in
           favor of ousting Chavez, a result he said was statistically
           impossible. He said the supposed finding indicated the machines were
           rigged to impose a ceiling on ``yes'' votes."
           \- after 49 "yes" votes, they become "overloaded with data" --psb
        \_ That's because Carter is an idiot, and should really just
           shut-up.
           \_ When did Bill O'Reilly get a csua account?

9/28    Has there been any election year in the US where no voting was
        conducted because there was only one presidential candidate?
        \_ Yes, Bush/Ashcroft 2008 -- They got 99% of the vote after
           suspending the constitution.

9/28    I wanna buy the complete 4 seasons of Southpark but Amazon is kind of
        pricy. What are other places that sell Southpark DvDs cheap? ok thx
        \_ http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com looks ~$30 cheaper
        \_ bittorrent + time = free
          \_ you know I've never used Kazaa/Napster (fear), is bittorrent
             easy to use and is it legal?
             \_ bittorent is free, easy to use, small, and spyware-free.
                You can use it to obtain materials legally and not.
                Re South Park, the easy step is getting the episodes; the
                takes-time-but-otherwise-easy step is finding/burning the
                DVD ISOs or figuring out how to burn non DVD ISOs.
             \_ Free or legal, choose one.  That being said, bittorrent hasn't
                had any lawsuits filed to my knowledge, and the only 'takedown'
                letters I've heard of are for the people running the trackers
                and torrent dump sites (which would not be you).

9/28    A concise summary of why the Iraq war is an illegal war, how "serious
        consequences" clearly did not include an invasion of Iraq:
        http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/RUS303A.html
        (The U.S. proclaimed the UN had made itself irrelevant by not voting
        to make the invasion legal.)
        \_ There is no such thing as an "illegal war"
           \_ Did you read the URL before you posted this?  Let me give you
              an example.  Iraq taking over Kuwait was an illegal invasion.
              If you applied the UN Charter to WW2, the U.S. declaring war
              against the Axis was legal; but Japan and Germany's preemptive
              invasions / wars were illegal.
              \_ "Legal" is a definition between a unit and their gov't
                 - wars are engagements between gov'ts.
                 \_ See definition of "international law" below.
        \_ Was Bosnia an illegal war?
        \_ What about the French-American War of 1798?  Or the war of 1812?
           \_ Both of these "diversionary" responses totally miss the point.
              \_ Formed by your head?
                 \_ Are you the Dumb Jock?
        \_ To all threads above:
           Main Entry: international law
           Function: noun
           : a body of rules that control or affect the rights of nations in
           their relations with each other
           (e.g., the UN Charter embodies some international law, particularly
           if you are a member of the UN.  E.g. 2, being a signatory of the
           Non-Proliferation Treaty and building nukes is a violation of
           international law - however, if you are not a signatory, or withdraw
           and build nukes you didn't violate any laws)
           \_ Dear Motd Reader:
              Yes, a dictionary always defines foreign policy.  Thanks for
              asking!
              \_ The PP is correct in that there can be such a thing as an
                 illegal war.  Whether or not that is signifigant in the grand
                 scheme of things is another debate.
              \_ Since I thought you would have trouble with a dictionary
                 definition, I also provided some hand-dandy examples for the
                 skeptical ... "international law?  I thought there was no
                 'body of law' between nations!  That's some funky idea!"
                 PP is correct in that the debate should not be over whether
                 it's an "illegal war", because it is, but whether it matters
                 in the grand scheme of things.
                 \- hello, you may wish to read the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
                    BTW, something like the USA enforced "no fly zones" are
                    also probably "illegal". --psb
                    \_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg-Briand_Pact
                       I am psb's motd google engine!
                       \- you have done well.
                \_ Also mention the EU, WTO and World Bank. Even Republicans
                   seem to acknowledge the existence of those international
                   legal entitites.

9/28    The Eagle award voting page is up.  Do the choices always suck
        this badly?  For example, the "favorite web based comic" catagory
        has PvP, and 2 comics that I can't even find webpages for they're
        so unknown. Whaa?  And what's with those choices for best Manga?
        Augh!
        http://www.komixworld.com/survey/public/survey.php?name=eagle2004KW

9/28    Does anybody use this sort of style for for loops in C:
        Foo *ptr;
        int i;
        for (i=0; i < arraySize; ptr = &array[i++])
        ?  Does it work well?
        \_ Uh, what's the point?  If you're going to go through the trouble
           of having an explicit index and doing the add-and-dereference
           thing (which a compiler should optimize away anyway), why not use
           array[i] instead of ptr?
        \_ Aside from the point above, looks like you're not initializing ptr
           on the first iteration.

9/28    I still can't quite comprehend how the majority of people want to
        vote for BushCo given everything he has done in the past 4
        years. But come to think of it, if they are dumb enough to
        believe everything that's coming out of BushCo's mouth, then
        they probably deserve 4 more years of BushCo.
        \_ Beware the person who believes that all who disagree with him are
           dumb.
        \_ The problem is, for the rest of us with a triple-digit IQ, we get
           stuck with 4 more years of BushCo as well.
                \_ Too bad the there aren't enough of the triple-digit IQ
                   voters as shown by the polls.
        \_ Maybe you are the idiot?
           \_ Maybe you ALL are homosexuals. -- Rainier Wolfcastle
        \_ A majority does not. Only one poll has Bush at +50% and all the good
           ones have it tied:
           http://www.pollingreport.com
           My prediction: Kerry by 7 points and the Senate to the Democrats.
           \_ http://www.electoral-vote.com shows 14 states tied or nearly tied, using
              *many* polls.  They are:
              Pennsylvania Michigan Washington New Jersey New Mexico Missouri
              Iowa Nevada Oregon Minnesota Maine Florida Maryland New Hampshire
              Every single one shows an increasing Bush trend. see them for
              yourself:
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/pennsylvania.html
              \_ This trend line is a joke. Look at it yourself. Bush
                 is obviously trending down here.
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/michigan.html
              \_ Bush still loses.
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/washington.html
              \_ One outlier does not make a trend.
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/new-jersey.html
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/new-mexico.html
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/missouri.html
              http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/iowa.html
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/nevada.html
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/oregon.html
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/minnesota.html
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/maine.html
              \_ No Bush trend here.
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/florida.html
              \_ This is an increasing Bush trend? You need to have
                 your eyes checked.
                 \_ I am reminded of "Band structure in Germanium, my ass"
                    \_ That writeup kicked ass.  Reminds me of the good
                       old physics 7abc days. -- ilyas
          http://http://www.shartwell.freeserve.co.uk/humor-site/germanium-humor.htm
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/maryland.html
              http://http://www.electoral-vote.com/states/new-hampshire.html
              \_ Read Zogby, The Christian Science Monitor and The
                 Economist polls. The problem with electoral vote is
                 that they throw in the obviously cooked Gallup numbers.
                 Electoral vote is biased and the guy even admits it.
                 You need to look at unbiased pollsters like the CSM.
                 What is your prediction? Let's see who is right on Nov 2.
                 I really don't mind you being self deluded, just don't
                 cry how the election was fixed on Nov 3. Things will
                 be clearer after the first debate.
        \_ Do you think Bush lied about WMDs, or do you think the CIA screwed
           up and Bush acted on the best available intelligence?  Do you think
           the war was illegal, or that the U.S. enforced the "serious
           consequences" clause of a UN resolution and showed the world that
           not complying when WMDs are concerned is not tolerated?  Do you
           think Bush is a fool who alienated our allies unnecessarily; or do
           you think he is always acting to protect America no matter what
           anyone else thinks, domestic or foreign, while relying on the best
           advice of his cabinet?  Do you think he is a reckless deficit-
           spender, or do you think when he says tax cuts are coming, they are?
           Do you think Bush went into Iraq without a well-thought-out plan to
           win the peace against advice from the Army chief of staff who was
           fired because he disagreed (and happened to be right); or do you
           think they already understand this and are trying their best to
           leave Iraq stable, and domestic dissent and public criticism both
           aids the enemy and hurts the morale of soldiers in the field?
           \_ I think that we should elect Bush President For Life and
              incarcerate and re-educate anyone who says anything bad about
              him until the War on Terrah is over. Which will be never.
                                   \_ Tear
              \_ I'm just trying to show how a lot of people can still vote
                 for BushCo given everything that's happened.  IMO, they're
                 all wrong, though, so I agree with your sarcasm.

9/28    To all the "beat a chimp" people:  It's been frequently quoted that
        Dubya has never lost a debate.
        \_ It's not like he's had dozens of debates under his belt ... I think
           it's hard for his opponents to perform in Bush's reality distortion
           field.
        \_ good point.  I think I'm listening to the liberals too much.
        \- I am pretty sure Kerry never has either, right? That is how
           they both got this far. It is the battle of the two middle aged
           heavyweights, for the boxing crown!
           \_  Putin could kick both their asses in a fight.
               \_ He could probably kick their asses in a debate, too.

9/28    Scenes from the Star Wars DVDs
        http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2374  -John
        \_ Two weeks old... I remember that time. We were younger then, and
           the world seemed full of hope.

9/28    I am trying to get fault address and ip(instruction pointer)
        information in a signal handler under Linux.  I know how to
        do this, but it doesn't seem to work under linux (redhat 7 & 8).
        Are there any special tricks?  --jwm
        \_ The code I am using to test is in ~jwm/sigtest.c --jwm
        \_ I use the following to get the instruction pointer for an
           timer based profiler I had to write:
           void profile_handler(int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *uap) {
                // grab the old pc from the user context
                // this is x86 linux specific crap
                ucontext_t *context = (ucontext_t *)uap;
                greg_t pc = context->uc_mcontext.gregs[REG_EIP];
                ...
            }

            I know this works on debian and some variants of redhat.
            I hope this helps. --twohey.
            \_ I should add that I setup the signal handler using sigemptyset,
               sigaddset, and sigaction. --twohey
            \_ This is perfect, thank you.  --jwm

9/28    Dear motd, I got semi seriously injured last week and now I'm
        on crutches. It's a pain to walk to the campus because I live
        1.7 miles away. I've been thinking that maybe
        this is a good time to buy one of those Sharper Image mini
        scooter thing. I need something that has ~5 mile range and
        can handle steep Berkeley hills. Gas scooters are noisy
        and stink. How about electric ones? Can they handle the
        Berkeley hills?
        \_ I've never driven a scooter.  Can you safely handle a two-wheeled
           vehicle if your legs are so badly injured?
           \_ If they can use a scooter they can use a bicycle.  S(he) should
              get a (motorized) wheelchair or one of those scooters old people
              use to go to the grocery store.
        \_ is this a joke?
           \_ He might just be an idiot, or kinney.
              \_ Why is someone on crutches an idiot?  Will you carry him?
        \_ http://www.buyscooteronline.com/350w-electric-scooter-800061.html
           DEFINITELY COOL STUFF although at 50 lbs it's kind of heavy.
        \_ It's SEGWAY time!

9/28    I remember last week or so someone was talking about how IT gets
        no respect. I was too busy working at the time to get involved
        in the discussion, but I wanted to chime in now with the observation\
        that it really depends on where you work. If you work at the NYSE,
        yeah you get loads of money, but no respect. If you work at Amazon,
        you are regarded pretty highly. I think it is obvious why. Desktop
        support never gets respect, but let the mail server go down and
        see the sparks fly! And the animosity goes both ways. Where do
        you think the phrase "bean counter" and PSB come from?
        \_ PSB? I only know PHB ...
           \_ I know both tom and psb...
        \_ what's PSB?
           \_ !psb
           \_ Ooops, I meant PHB.
              \_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHB
              \_ FYI that wasn't a typo, some monkey came along and changed it

9/28    Anyone know if it is possible (how?) to get the firmware image
        from an existing alteon (AD3) (without having to take the box apart)?
        I got a replacement AD3 for my existing failing one but it has a
        REAL old software version that doesn't support some of the features
        I use and want (like ssh) but I'm unwilling to pay nortel $1000 for a
        support contract.
        \_ What's wrong with taking the box apart?

9/28    There is no other choice against terrorism but war, and more war!
        \_ Actually getting ourselves off of foreign oil so that we no
           longer have to prop up corrupt & hated Muslim dictatorships
           would be foolish!
           \_ Hey!  I can get off the oil anytime I want man!  I just like
              it.  That's all.  In fact, I could use some right now...  Oh
              yeah... that SUV really hits the spot...

9/28    This is great.  Crawford, Texas newspaper that endorsed Bush in 2000
        endorses Kerry.
        http://news.iconoclast-texas.com/web/Columns/Editorial/editorial39.htm
        And of course, the inevitable "Why does Crawford, Texas hate America?"
        \_ cuz they like shooting illegals in the back as they run?

9/28    How can I install LaTeX onto my OS X machine? I'd like it to be
        driven from the command line like in a unix shell (and not
        using a front-end GUI). Thanks.
        \_ OZTEX! OZTEX!!! OZTEX IS THE STANDARD!!!!!!
           http://www.trevorrow.com/oztex
        \_The easiest way is using fink (fink.sourceforge.net) but you
          should also be able to download and compile the source yourself.
          \- hola, i had some problems using the fink tetex install.
             i was in a hurry so i just installed via FleeBSD ports on
             another machine. have not tried via darwin ports or
             the i installer. is fink really being maintained for 10.3? --psb
                              \_ yes. 0.7.1 was released on 9/20/2004. -jwang
        \_ You bought a Mac but don't want to use the GUI?  Why else would
           anyone buy a Mac?
        \_ I use the TeXShop front end and think it's great
             http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~koch/texshop/texshop.html
           Part of the TeXShop installation process involves running the
           i-Installer, which gives you all the TeX command line programs
           (which TeXShop just invokes).

9/28    Hola, have any of youy been involved in licensing a photograph
        to a author/publisher?  Do you usually deal with the publisher
        for the technical and legal stuff or do they expect the author
        to negotiate with you over those matters? This is probably sort
        of a small publisher and a small release academic book. Also I
        dont personally know the author who is in another country. Ok tnx.

9/29    Me and two other guys are getting free (< 500$) PocketPCs to develop
        a little application for nurses to remotely access a server.  Does
        anyone have suggestions?  shac suggested the Dell Axim.
        \_ you've already followed the only advice I would give: avoid the
           doctors, and talk to the nurses. good luck getting doctors to
           back any system to do anything that weighs less than 50 pounds,
           costs less than 5,000 dollars, doesn't run on DOS, and has a
           non-broken UI.  Fucking dumbasses.
        \_ I've recommended the Axim line for a while now.  I have an iPaq 3835
           which I'm quite happy with, though the Axim's are definitely the
           best bang-for-the-buck.  They also have SD and CF slots--though if
           you get wifi you'll probably sacrificet the CF slot.  I really like
           their screens too--they look brighter and crisper than my iPaq.
           Bottom line, go to your favorite box store and take a look at them.
           \_ Unfortunately, I probably won't have time to get to a store. I'm
              supposed to let them know by tomorrow morning.  I'll look into
              the Axim line.  Right now i'm considering the Asus A716 -
              integrated BlueTooth, integrated 802.11b, IrDA, and SD & CF II
              slots.  That should pretty much cover any connectivity issues
              that arise.
              \_ Most of the current Axims have both 802.11b and bluetooth
                 built in already.

9/29    So last year I asked the motd for advice about writing a "self-
        evaluation" at the end of the year during review time. I was told
        to talk myself up as much as possible w/out going overboard. I took
        this advice and I believe it helped. But then after my review and
        compensation adjustments I was asked a question I wasn't prepared
        for so this year I'll ask the motd again...
        After receiving end-of-the-year compensation adjustments, what
        should one answer when manager asks "Is this what you expected? If
        not, more or less?" I can think of reasons for both yes/no and
        more/less answers. Any thoughts?
        \_ I would not answer such questions unless I were absolutely sure
           they were doing this seriously, for their employees, which is
           not possible, so never mind.  I would never answer that.
        \_ What you expected would seem to be less relevant than what you
           wanted. I would proceed assuming the "want" meaning. To answer
           that you need to figure out what you're worth independent of the
           manager's mind games. Not that I know anything really though.
           Oh and if it really does seem high, I don't really see a point
           in admitting that, what would your reason be? Brownie points?
           \_ i'd be happy to just have a job.  what's a raise?
        \_ my thinking is to use this to your advantage. if you're unhappy
           with the raise, say "it's too low." it's a great opportunity to
           do so, and your manager might expect you to say it so you won't
           be making people uncomfortable. If you're happy with it, provide
           no information. Say something uninformative like "it will do" with
           a poker face. That way, the manager only gets information if it
           benefits you.
        \_ I'm the one who told you to talk yourself up without being a nut
           about it.  In response to all stupid manage head game questions
           like this you should reply like a politician, not an engineer.
           When asked a direct question, most engineers will try to answer
           it truthfully and directly.  BZZZT!  This is the worst thing you
           can do with head game questions.  I was asked the same thing when
           I got my bonus & raise this spring.  The raise was pathetic.  The
           bonus was better but nothing special as bonuses go.  My response
           was along the lines of "Well, everyone would agree that more is
           always better than less, and this was certainly better than nothing.
           how much is left in the budget for further adjustments at this
           point?".  So I answered without answering and then turned it around
           back on them with a question which made it clear I wanted more and
           I know they have more money in the budget for it (they can always
           get more money if they really want/need it), yet I wasn't an
           aggressive greedy overly demanding asshat about it.  Of course they
           didn't actually come up with anything extra but I didn't expect
           them to.  The point was to answer the question in such a way as to
           not come off as a total asshole but making it clear they didn't
           just buy my undying loyalty forever either.  Remember, talks with
           your manager are not engineering problems to be solved.  This is
           them testing you to see how far they can abuse you without making
           you quit or stop working as hard.  Good luck next year and let us
           know how it goes.
        \_ well its the end of our year right now... my review is tomorrow
           so you all will find out soon enough. I'm taking all above advice
           into consideration. thanks. -op

9/29    Which webcam should I get for easy use with linux (Debian)?
        \_ Get a webcam that outputs normal NTSC composite, get a BT848/
           BT87[89] based board.  Done.
           \_ There must be a better solution.  This adds at least $50,
              requires opening the case, and had an unnecessary D->A->D stage.
        \_ Do everybody a favor (this it the perfect opportunity): call
           Logitech, or Microsoft, or whoever you're interested in, and ask
           this same question.  Flatter, say you've heard good things about
           their product, and ask which one works best with linux (and
           FreeBSD).  Feel free to be shocked if they can't answer you.
        \_ I hate logitech. They no longer makes just the windows driver
           downloadable. To get the driver, you have to download a fucking
           50mb executable which installs a shit load of crap on your computer,
           anyone know of any webcam that provides just the driver??